Devices for automatically dispensing of a measured amount of feed on a timed schedule are needed to feed farm or ranch animals in many situations such as when those normally involved in feeding activities are not available for extended periods of time, or when it is desired to tend to animals in remote locations. In the case of farm animals it is desired to dispense feed at regular intervals and in between these intervals, to hold or store the feed in such a manner as to prevent the feed from being eaten by wild creatures. In particular and specifically in relation to the present invention, it should be noted that a feeder for hay flakes is desirable. Hay flakes are small bales of hay formed into a rectangular shape and providing an amount of feed necessary for sustaining cattle and horses during one feeding period. The need for timed or regulated feed devices has been confirmed by the many devices that have appeared on the market or are described in the literature and other publications.
Several prior art devices that are most pertinent to the present invention have been built to provide pre-measured amounts of food to animals automatically on a timed schedule. One such device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,036 to Caracappa, has multiple compartments arranged radially about a vertical axis, each compartment having its own trap door on hinges. This device also has a holding finger for each compartment to hold the trap door closed until a rotating disc is aligned so as to release the finger and permit the door to drop and release the food from that compartment. The hinged trap doors and holding fingers for all of the compartments, however, comprise many moving parts thus making the device overly complicated, expensive to manufacture, and subject to mechanical failure and excessive maintenance.
Another device which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,221 to Arvizu shows a hopper where granulated food is stored in bulk form and from which it is gravity fed through a rotating food dispenser which is sized to measure the desired amount of food. While this invention has fewer moving parts than the preceding one, it would not be suitable for dispensing hay flakes because the hay flakes are too large.
A third device for automatically feeding animals is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,106 to Nagatomo. This is a battery-powered device that can dispense measured quantities of grain or other finely divided dry feed material on a set schedule. However it is basically only useful for small domestic pets such as fish or birds, because the design would not scale up to a size needed to feed adequate portions to hay eating farm animals.
Various other devices also exist for satisfying the feeding of specific animals such as hogs or fish. However, none of these satisfies the need for a means to automatically feed adequate measured quantities of hay to farm animals on a timed schedule. Clearly there is a need for a device that is designed to automatically dispense a measured amount of feed for farm or ranch animals such as horses and cattle on a selected schedule, and to have a large enough capacity for several days' worth of food. Such a device would be of a simple enough design that it would be relatively easy to manufacture and it would not be subject to frequent breakdowns, jamming or excessive preventive maintenance. Such a device would be rugged enough to be used for the feeding of large, active animals that could damage a more fragile design. The device would be versatile enough to be capable of automatic feeding of from 1 to 4 days without the need to reload the apparatus. Such a device would also have the advantages of being easily loaded, easily set as to time schedule, not easily damaged or affected by rain or snow, i.e., just as applicable for indoors as well as out of doors applications, and would prevent wild animals from attacking the stored feed. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides related advantages.